Abstract
The leaves and flowers of Lavandula dhofarensis were collected from the Dhofar region of Oman and hydro-distilled to give low boiling volatiles, which did not condense at 10 oC. The dichloromethane extract of the hydrosol was analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Sixty four compounds were identified in the volatiles of the leaves, accounting for 78.7% of the total. The major components were caryophyllene oxide (8.0%), germacrene (7.9%), spathulenol (7.8%), and b-caryophyllene (6.6%). Eighty six compounds were also identified in the volatiles of the leaves plus flowers, comprising 94.5% of the total. The major compounds were camphor (12.9%), viridiflorol (10.5%), a-terpinyl acetate (7.5%), valerenal (7.2%), a-gurjunene (5.6%), and spathulenol (5.5%). Compounds such as linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, and b-ocimene, which are usually found as the major components of lavender oils, were either absent or detected at low levels (<0.1%) in the hydrosol of L. dhofarensis. This investigation showed that the fragrance essence of L. dhofarensis is different from the other Lavandula species. L. dhofarensisis is regionally endemic to wetter areas of Oman.